'From the back of my boyhood closet' photos

With the "from the back of my boyhood closet" series now laid to rest (bow your heads if you must), I thought it might be a good idea to share all of the photos that appeared in said series on my Flickr photostream.

So, that's what I did last night. I also shared a few extra photos that, for one reason or another, didn't make it into any of this series' posts--such as the one to the right.

I think that shot is my favorite, by the way; mainly because it lets Gunpei Yokoi's iconic design shine.

That said, I'm also quite fond of this one and this one--both of which feature a quartet of SNES carts (specifically: Final Fantasy II, Secret of Mana, Super Tennis and Yoshi's Island).

If you've never visited my Flickr photostream, you may want to avoid clicking on the link above and click on this one instead. The latter will take you to all of my gaming photos, not just the ones that were taken for the "from the back of my boyhood closet" series.

See also: All 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part seven

The last of the seven game-related treasures I unearthed from my boyhood closet during a recent trip to see my parents is the complete-in-box GameBoy system seen in the photos below.

This "find" actually shocked me because I distinctly remember selling my first GameBoy and most, if not all, of my GameBoy titles as a teen. After inspecting this system's box, though, I realized it couldn't be the GameBoy in question, as a handwritten note on its backside indicates that I acquired it in 1994--five years after Nintendo's pioneering portable was introduced to North America.

As such, I'm guessing I did sell my first GameBoy--which came in a completely different box and which I received as a gift within a year of its release--and then I bought the "basic" system seen in the photos above and below at some later date.

Anyway, enough about that. The real news here is that I found an original GameBoy--along with its box, manuals and other paperwork--in the back of my childhood closet.

Oh, and did I mention that the system is in nearly perfect condition? I say "nearly" because although superficially everything is rather immaculate, things aren't as flawless beneath the surface. Specifically, the system's screen is missing a few lines of pixels. I don't know if that's due to its age or if it's due to the fact that at some point I seemingly left some batteries in it for a long period of time (resulting in some massively corroded innards), but it doesn't much matter now, does it?

What does matter: It still works well enough that I can play a game on it if I so desire.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part six

Have any of you played--or even heard of--the PC game called Planet's Edge? (It was made by New World Computing, perhaps best known for producing the Might and Magic series.) No worries if you haven't, as the game came out all the way back in 1992 and I've yet to run into anyone who claims to remember it.

Regardless, I have fond memories of playing the hell out of this outer-space-based RPG as a teen. In particular, I have fond memories of exploring--on foot, with my four-member party--the many, many planets (Wikipedia says there are hundreds, which means I barely scratched the surface of the game when I played it) of Planet's Edge.

I also remember enjoying the title's mining aspect. (You're often able to transfer some of a planet's raw materials to your ship, which can then be taken back to your home base and used to make bigger and better ships and, if my memory's not failing me, weapons.)

All that said, I'm not entirely sure why I brought the game's box and disks from my boyhood closet to my current home in Seattle, as our PC doesn't have a disk drive. For nostalgia's sake? It wouldn't be the first time.

Thankfully, it seems I should be able to download a copy of Planet's Edge fairly easily (such as here and here, I think). Should I be able to get it up and running, I'll give it a go for old times' sake and then (attempt to) write up a "somewhat gay" review of it.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part five

The following photo shows off the fifth (as well as sixth, seventh and eighth, I guess) game-related treasures I pulled from the closet of my childhood bedroom over the holidays. For those of you who can't quite make out the names of the SNES games in said snapshot, the one at the front of the line is Secret of Mana, followed by Final Fantasy II, Super Tennis and Yoshi's Island.

Would you believe it if I told you these games are among my all-time favorites for Nintendo's 16-bit system? Well, it's true.

Secret of Mana, for instance, will forever have a spot in my heart thanks to its lush graphics, laid-back soundtrack--and gobs of loot. Super Tennis, on the other hand, earned a place within my left ventricle (or is it my right one?) by bringing tons of late-night enjoyment to me and my childhood BFF during our frequent sleepovers.

Anyway, as stoked as I was to dig these four titles out of my old closet, I was saddened that I didn't also find a few other SNES games I know I used to own, such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World.

Oh, well, there's always eBay, right? Speaking of which, I'm going to need to pay a visit to everyone's favorite auction site at some point in the near future in order to pick up either an SNES or a Super Famicom system, as I'm currently unable to play any of the above-mentioned games.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part four

I know what many of you will think when you read what my fourth "find" was while digging through my childhood closet a few months ago: That's it?

Yes, that's it. For some reason, though, finding a complete-in-box copy of Pokémon Red really made me happy. Not "I've just won the lottery" happy, mind you, but definitely "oh, cool, a game I used to like when I was younger" happy.

I think part of my happiness can be attributed to nostalgia (I played the hell out of this game, y'all) and another part of it can be attributed to the fact that the game's cartridge is a most wonderful cherry red.

One final reason for my over-the-moon-ness upon finding the copy of Pokémon Red in the photo above: Its instruction manual and supporting brochures were stuffed inside the box, just where I probably left them however many years ago.

That's important because I had forgotten how extensive this game's manual was. It's huge! Not only that, but it includes a ton of information and illustrations. I guess we all know which game will serve as the focus of a future "Manual Stimulation" post.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part three

So, the first two of these "from the back of my boyhood closet" posts featured a Nintendo 64 and a Sega Genesis. The focus of this one: The shiny, blue GameBoy Pocket seen in the photos below.

I know it looks like it's in immaculate condition, but it's actually a bit scuffed up (especially its backside). Still, the screen's in great shape, which is all that really matters to me.

The best part of digging this system out of the back of my childhood closet: It had a copy of Wario Land II stuck inside of it!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Wario Land II's box or case (you know how important that is to me). Who knows, though, maybe I'll find them the next time I pay my parents a visit.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part two

Remember how I mentioned in this post that some of the game-related treasures I pulled from my boyhood closet (while staying with my parents this past Christmas) surprised me while others brought a smile to my face thanks to the fond memories I have of them?

Well, the "find" seen in the photo below--the Nintendo 64 system that I received as a birthday present far too many years ago--falls squarely into the latter category.

One reason I have such fond memories of Nintendo's third console is that it was so uniquely--some would say strangely--designed and constructed. That bump on the top and those "wings" on the sides signaled to gamers of the day that this system was unlike any that came before it. (Its Batwing-shaped controller, which I also own but which isn't pictured below, suggested a similar changing of the gaming guard.)



Another reason the warm feeling of nostalgia washes over me whenever I think about the Nintendo 64: Despite its technical shortcomings, the system was home to a bevy of awesome games.

Speaking of which, I pulled more than just a still-in-great-shape Nintendo 64 system from my childhood closet a few months ago; I also pulled a pair of my favorite Nintendo 64 games from that cluttered space. One of those games, Paper Mario, can be seen in the photo above, while the second is none other than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Sadly, I couldn't find the boxes that originally housed these games. I was able to find a rather crumpled manual for Paper Mario, though, so all of my digging wasn't completely without merit.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet, part one

Those of you who read this post from yesterday afternoon will know that I recently discovered a bunch of game-related treasures while digging through my boyhood closet. (And if you haven't read the aforementioned post? Uh, maybe you should read it now.)

Well, one of those finds--I'll write about five more in the coming weeks--is the Sega Genesis 2 system (and controller) seen in the following photo.

Neither item is in perfect condition, but both are in good, working order, so you know what that means: I now can play that copy of Pier Solar I bought early last year. (Read about that situation here.)

I don't expect Pier Solar to be the only game that gets stuck into my recently-rediscovered Genesis 2 this year, of course; I also expect to slide copies of Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Shining Force II and Landstalker into the system's cartridge slot at some point or other.

Before I purchase those titles, though, I'm going to have to get one of those slick, six-button controllers, since I've never been much of a fan of the cheap, chunky, three-button ones.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

From the back of my boyhood closet

While at my parents' home over the holidays, I spent a bit--OK, a lot--of time digging through my old bedroom closet in the hopes of finding a few game-related treasures.

Some of the games and systems I found during that expedition surprised me, while others simply brought a smile to my face thanks to the fond memories I have of them.

Anyway, I shipped most of these finds back to Seattle before I left my hometown (McFarland, Wisconsin) a few weeks ago. Said shipment just arrived, and I'm so excited about it I could spit.

As such, I think I'll document each of them in a short series of posts that will be published over the next few weeks. Expect to see the first one appear tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, have any of you found any long-forgotten games and/or systems while digging through your childhood bedroom or basement?

Note: The photo to the right isn't of the contents of my boyhood closet, although I wish it were.